The present invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to a container for storing and shipping bulk materials such as powdered or granular products.
Bulk pack containers have been developed and are available with liners (both glued in place and unglued) that perform well with loads up to about 1,500 pounds. However, when the loads exceed 1,500 pounds and approach 2,000 pounds, such bulk packs tend to bulge excessively. One of the solutions for this problem is simply to apply perimeter bands or straps to such packs to help hold the sidewalls vertical to keep the corners from splitting and to increase the stacking strength. Another solution has been to form compartments within the containers to better distribute the forces among more side walls. Yet another solution has been to form the bulk type containers with multiple side walls, i.e., an octagonal shape. However, the problem with such odd shaped containers is that they create void space in warehouse storage and shipping. A list of U.S. patents which disclose containers of the type described above is set forth below:
3,063,615 PA1 3,115,292 PA1 3,880,341 PA1 4,013,168 PA1 4,037,775 PA1 4,040,558 PA1 4,089,417 PA1 4,177,935 PA1 4,186,846 PA1 4,260,071 PA1 1,706,814 PA1 3,010,633
The containers disclosed in the aforementioned patents are suitable for most purposes, but they suffer in many respects, particularly with respect to the way they are manufactured and set up for use. Meanwhile, in accordance with other aspects of container design it is known in the prior art to provide preliminary banding steps for reinforcing shipping containers as shown by the following U.S. patents:
Notwithstanding, the present invention provides a unique solution to the various problems found in the prior art bulk pack containers and does so with a simplicity of design and construction not anticipated by the prior art.